Over a fabulous dinner at Spiral in Sofitel Philippine Plaza recently, I was charmed not just by the fabulous food. Captivated by the dazzling blue eyes of eBay vice president Dan Neary, I hung on to his every passionate word. I learned that eBay, which was founded in September 1995, is a global marketplace where practically anyone can trade practically anything. Dan, who oversees the development of eBay businesses in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and India, had me under his spell as he spilled out astonishing facts about eBay.
“Can you guess what was the biggest thing ever sold on eBay?” Dan asked.
I was clueless.
“The biggest thing ever sold online was a submarine,” he said. Hearing this, of course, made my jaw drop.
My favorite part of the evening was the shared testimonials from eBayers on how eBay has touched their lives.
So animated was my dearest Mama No whom we fondly call the eBay Queen because she is extremely passionate about buying and selling online. The greatest joys of her life are her interesting and funny transactions on eBay. In between succulent bites of salmon sushi, she related to Dan how she loves to buy and sell things on eBay even for her friends. She has successfully sold three of our family’s cars, and bought her new ride, an Opel Astra she fondly calls Olga, all on eBay. Mama No says somehow you meet the nicest (and cutest) people on eBay. (By the way, Mama No is Mary Noah Manarang, a member of our Royal Orphanage and also the Vetiver Queen.)
Mama No’s most unforgettable transaction was when she sold her car to a family of an OFW working in Dubai. She remembers that one rainy afternoon, her “buyer” Denmark Toledo, a nursing student, met her in Starbucks with the whole family in tow. “The mother talked to me while Denmark and father excitedly checked out the car. She told me, not knowing anything about cars, she felt this is the one for them after meeting me. Tearfully she confided that this is their first family car, bought with hard-earned money and they intended to surprise their daughter by picking her up from the airport. When I finally sold them the car, they insisted for us to eat at a popular fastfood to celebrate their new car. It was really a special moment. To this day, we are still in touch and they tell me how well they take care of my former car,” she said.
Then there is my kikay buyer Mica Espiritu of Ayala Land who bought our family’s white Nissan Cefiro. She found the car through her fiancée who is an avid eBayer. Although Noah had many bidders, she was happy Mica won the car because she intended to give it to her sister Madelaine.
“Ebay leads you to many beautiful things, the most rewarding of which are lasting friendships,” Mama No said. Since Mica and her fiancee Mervin Aquino became Mama No’s friends, we ended up helping them with their custom-made wedding bands which made them so happy.
You may ask, why will people trust to buy something from a person they don’t know at all. Well, eBay works on a feedback system, both buyers and sellers give each other a positive or a negative feedback depending on how the transaction went. And as you pile up your positive feedbacks, you get ranked with a star. In all of Noah’s eBay feedbacks, Mica’s was the most fulfilling: “Excellent eBayer!!! Great deal! Became my friend after the transaction.”
According to Mama No, her positive feedback is her best reward. Her ultimate dream is to become eBay’s “powerseller.”
Before you think that Noah is a full time eBayer, she does have a day job! She is the president of Biosolutions Inc. It was actually her research on how to sell their company’s environmental products online that brought her to eBay. She made an account and started buying a few stuff just to see how it works and she’s been hooked ever since. It was through her eBay posting that the owner of Casa Basilisa Resort in Guinubatan, Albay found her product, vetiver grass, online. It is a special grass that prevents soil erosion and cannot be bought just from any plant shop. The owners of the resort were desperate to find it as they were recently affected by the tragic volcanic mudflow and they needed to save what’s left of the eroding property.
Not finding her company in the Yellow Pages, they googled up the word Vetiver, and Noah’s eBay posting appeared on the first page. That’s how they got in touch with her, and a year after planting the grass, the resort has been rehabilitated. If not for eBay, they wouldn’t have saved the property in time and a lot of people would have lost their jobs and their homes.
Mama No is now in the process of putting up an eBay store for her company’s environmental products. Her inquiring clients are eBayers from as far as Texas in the US and Latvia in Eastern Europe.
Noah, being a highly techie person, buys all of her gadgets on eBay, and when she’s done with them, ends up reselling them on eBay still. To date she has bought and sold six laptops, over a dozen cellphones, four cars, Xbox games for my son Vincent, an aircon unit, badminton rackets and shoes. When she sells things on eBay for friends, it’s not even for commission but for the sheer thrill of selling the items and getting a positive feedback after. She even sold the extra watch of my husband Benny on eBay!
To eBay member Annie Marcelino, a full-time mom with five kids, eBay is more than a mere pastime. In fact, she believes it has practically given her a whole new lease on life.
Annie was working as a travel agent and a secretary before she decided to give up her career and become a full-time mom to take care of her “tribe” consisting of four energetic boys and a daughter. Born with a creative streak, she loved to cross stitch and create her own home accessories.
Annie’s first experience with eBay was as a buyer of flip-flops in 2005. With a wide array of things being sold on eBay, she was inspired to sell her innovative creations and turn her passion into a means of earning extra income.
Getting started was a tad challenging. Initially, Annie had to rely on renting a computer and borrowing her friend’s camera. One by one she started selling the unique items she had created and found ready buyers on eBay for her goods. Today, Annie is a proud seller of plus-sized clothing, home accessories and limited edition Havaianas. Not only that, she found good friends in every transaction she made as the eBay community in the Philippines is like an extended family to her. Recently, her online family came to the rescue when they rallied together and pooled funds when Annie was facing a stretch in her finances due to her sudden gall bladder surgery.
As Annie’s experience reveals, eBay is not just a means to generate extra income. Specifically in her case, Annie defines her eBay activities as a form of therapy.
And for our very own Mama No, eBay is both her passion and hobby. As I finish writing this column, I can see her in the corner of my eye, typing away on her laptop. There is that trademark smile on her face. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day she’s able to sell a vacation villa on eBay.
(Would love to hear from you at miladayjewels@yahoo.com.)
